I picked up this book because a snippet reminded me of my own werewolf character. Although I do not normally read romance or romance-[insert other genre], I was willing to give it a shot for the werewolf aspect. And I am glad I did. The story of Reika and Jiya is one of facing trauma and finding healing through acceptance. Reika, the werewolf is dealing with the loss of her pack. As a lone wolf, she lives on the outskirts of a small town where the perfectly ordinary human Jiya has found a home after leaving a terrible relationship of her own.
I would classify the romance as slow burn, which makes sense because both of the MCs are trying to find their way through traumatic pasts. This was the hardest part for me, as I usually read "hit the ground running" stories. Once the action picked up, however, I found the story of how a werewolf becomes the savior of a small town in the middle of a forest a nice flip from the usual werewolf story where the monster is hunted down and killed or driven away. This is the first book of a series and I am looking forward to seeing how Reika and Jiya's relationship grows as well as how Reika continues to save the town.
